[www.usatoday.com]

[b:5e9c058df9]Media shrinks' quick fixes fail [/b:5e9c058df9]
By Steven Berglas


Dr. Phil is hot. The new TV show got the highest ratings for a talk show debut since Dr. Phil McGraw's mentor, Oprah Winfrey, went national in 1986. Between his TV show, lectures and books, no living man in the business of dispensing psychological wisdom is making more people feel good than Dr. Phil.

Dr. Phil's success, however, may be the bane of traditional psychotherapy.

Dr. Phil the man is not my problem. Nor is my concern born of sour grapes (although I envy his power to command lecture fees in excess of what most college professors earn in a year). What I fear is that the format of his TV program -- along with all media psychologists who write self-help books offering ''quick fix'' techniques -- blind the public to the fact that it is incredibly difficult to achieve psychological change. The more efficacious Dr. Phil is seen as being, the more difficult it will be to convince people suffering from psychological disorders that psychotherapy is worthwhile.

To be fair, many media psychologists, Dr. Phil included, do not claim to be providing psychotherapy, and many (such as Dr. Ruth and Dr. Laura) acknowledge that their training is not in clinical psychology. Although Dr. Phil does have a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, he was discovered by Oprah because, as a consultant specializing in jury selection and related courtroom matters, he helped her prevail in a lawsuit brought by Texas cattlemen who claimed her remarks about beef hurt their business. Dr. Joyce Brothers' career was jump-started when she won a TV game show.

Unfortunately, few audiences ask what a media shrink's area of specialization is. Instead, the audience hears the honorific ''doctor'' and concludes that the person dispensing wisdom can heal.

The light dawns -- then fades

Should it matter that a media shrink lacks training in clinical psychology or psychiatry? Absolutely. What happens to guests after they call Dr. Laura or appear on Dr. Phil will be greatly affected by the disorder underlying the problem discussed on air. Most often, for example, media shrinks deal with self-defeating behaviors: Marriage to an abusive spouse, tolerance of second-class citizenship in a family or at work, or an inability to control personal dependencies or addictions. When confronted -- and confrontation does seem to be what sells -- by a doctor who tells them to ''get real'' or ''get a life,'' sufferers appear to experience an epiphany that will lead to change.

Would that it were so easy. Virtually all those I have treated for self-defeating disorders know the damage they inflict upon themselves is ''wrong'' and are motivated, at some level, to change. Many do, for a while, but most regress owing to issues that cannot be addressed through confrontation. Moreover, because all self-defeating disorders have some rewarding aspects to them, such as blocking a person from assuming adult responsibilities, people resist ''getting a life.''

Sufferers need longer-term attention

Dr. Phil is as charismatic as can be but he cannot will a cure with one heartfelt admonition. Protracted follow-up after insight is the key to psychological change, and this is rarely the stuff of good TV or radio.

Consumers can and should be warned about the dangers of what looks like a godsend for those trapped in patterns of defeat. Licensed psychotherapists' professional groups, for instance, could promote awareness of the therapeutic struggles that ''patients'' such as Tony Soprano endure. That relationship between The Sopranos' main character and his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, although prettied up for TV, is far more representative of the ebb and flow of what leads to a resolution of a psychological disorder than the gratefulness of those ministered to by media shrinks.

It's fine to love Dr. Phil, but let's just add a small warning label: ''Do not try this on your own.''


Steven Berglas spent 25 years in the Harvard Medical School department of psychiatry. He is the author of Reclaiming the Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout.

And some further criticism from various psychologists also in this article:
[www.usatoday.com]

[perso.wanadoo.fr]

This page lists Phil McGraw's group as a LGAT, listed under "Other Transformational Encounter Groups"

[gopathways.org]

"Pathways LifeStyle Seminars, Inc. is a non-profit corporation founded in 1985 by TV talk show host and national best selling author, Dr. Phillip C. McGraw.

Dr. Phil McGraw is no longer connected to Pathways, but he did train Andy Lawrence, the lead facilitator, and remains an ongoing supporter of Pathways."

Certainly looks to be classic LGAT stuff. Creepy.

"[b:8b460ae5f0]If you’ve never heard of Pathways before [/b:8b460ae5f0]
That’s not too surprising, because we don’t advertise much. Nearly everyone who attends comes because someone who knows them went through the program and told them about it. You can learn a lot about us here, but to get a real flavor for what a difference the training makes, you’ll want to talk with someone who’s been through."

[www.maadwomen.com]

There was some good info in this article posted above.
[www.usatoday.com]

Its similar to what i said about bringing people on tv, and exposing their dysfunctions, then they get socially shamed, and this "public shaming" can force them into short term change.
For instance, today he had a couple on the show, where they had done some 3-somes in their marriage, and the husband wanted more 3somes, yet the wife sorta wanted them to make her husband happy...yadda yadda...
These poor people have NO IDEA of the embarassment they are going to feel when they get home. Could you imagine? Go on some show, and talk about your sexual problems with your wife, and talk about your 3-somes, when these people have CHILDREN, and all their friend will know about this?
its potentially life wrecking, but TV doesn't care, as it makes for exciting TV.

[www.drphil.com]

In my view, i think its mainly just Psychological exploitation in the name of ratings, which means money.
Also, people will say anything to get on TV, and TV producers are experts in talking people into spilling their guts.
Its exploitation, in my view.

Coz

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Public humiliation actually may help bring about change, says Elizabeth Carll, a Long Island psychologist who studies the media. Guests make a public commitment, setting up "a form of national peer pressure," she says. But while McGraw's message to accept responsibility for one's behavior may be a good one, the use of humiliation as a tool would not be endorsed by the mental health profession, she says.

Critics also say that McGraw doesn't emphasize "the kind of hard work it requires to change the way you think and feel over time," says Michael Bowers of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Just saw part of a Dr Phil show on ADD.
Phil had HIS guru on the show promoting his book on ADD.
One thing Phil's guru, Dr. Frank Lawlis used was "Applied Kinesiology".
This is a total scam.
Here you have these two guys promoting this "muscle testing" which is total pseudoscientific hocus pocus nonsense.
Totally unbelievable they would be trying to sell this nonsense.
Talk about a total lack of scientific knowledge and abilities.

[www.ncahf.org]
[skepdic.com]
www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/ak.html
--------
[www.drphil.com]
Dr. Lawlis says that if parents are hyper-vigilant about what they feed their child, they can stop the hyper behavior. He came up with a fun way for parents to children to test which foods are good for them and which foods are bad; it's called muscle testing kinesiology.

He has Austin hold two of his fingers together very tightly so he can't undo them. If you're holding foods that aren't good for you, your grip won't be as strong. Dr. Lawlis has Austin hold a variety of foods including, chicken strips, grapes, a cucumber and others, as he tests his grip.

Also, i tried to post some of this info on the Dr Phil.com messageboards, and it was blocked.
Also, it appears others critical messages were blocked as well.

[boards.drphil.com]

For example, this Dr Lawlis, CLAIMS he can diagnose ADD using an EEG.
A few people have posted asking for the scientific evidence for this claim.
One person mentioned they had tried to post some info several times, showing links to studies showing ADD cannot be diagnosed by an EEG.
That was blocked as well.

Bottom line, same shit, different pile.
Dr Phil's good old boy, has come up with some QUACK theory, and a book to sell, and they don't want any doubters.
There was ZERO proof for the controversial claims being made on the Dr Phil show.
Just these two good old boys selling their books.
Making millions off human illness and misery.

This Dr. Lawlis REALLY has got in my craw.
Just the other week he claimed he could raise a childs IQ with his techniques, but his test was totally flawed.
Just because some guy got a PhD in psychology in the 1960's doesn't mean his is not a greedy quack trying to cash in.
Or perhaps a meglomaniac who thinks they are a Genius working outside the system.

Mark my words, something is rotten with this Dr Phil Guru, Dr Frank Lawlis.
[www.learndrphilfromlawlis.com]

I visited Dr. Phil's message board and did see that someone managed to get some info up; I took a screenshot last night. I'm curious to see if it's still there this morning.

I've tried posting there, too. Let's see if my post makes it up.

Yes, there are some critical posts there.

But I tell ya, i am glad Dr Phil and his Guru Lawlis did that show.
It exposed the kind of sloppy thinking and questionable motivations going on behind the scenes.
These guys are not credible scientists or psychologists, in my view.

They are salesmen of books and services, and propagandists.

Coz

Interesting: I believe I saw your post there, Coz, and then someone answered you, and I responded to her. Looks like the whole thing was deleted, because I can't find it there any more. But I do have a screenshot at home that shows your post.